harpersfallsfandomcom-20200214-history
Eileen O'Reilly
Eileen O'Reilly (formerly Balducci) is a character on the series, Harpers Falls. She was originated by actress Carol Mayo Jenkins, who is perhaps best known as the liberal and stern yet caring English teacher, Ms. Elizabeth Sherwood, from the TV series, Fame; but when she decided to not continue in the role, actress/author Jennifer Salt, best known for her role of snobbish Eunice Tate-Leitner on the comedy, Soap, took over the role and made her more into a comedic relief role. A truly Irish woman With more than a share of a very fiery Irish temper given her ancestry, Eileen Balducci is an anomaly in a very Italian family. Born in Philadelphia, Eileen had grown up in an Irish Catholic life. She was top of her class at her Philadelphia Girls Catholic school, and was on her way to college. She had met and fell in love with one Rocco Balducci, a handsome football player that she had met while at Boston College. Rocco, at first, had no liking for the Irish Catholic, as it clashed with his Italian Catholic ways, and his mother, Philomena did not like her at all. However, they had fallen in love and got married. From this union, they had three children, Maureen, Antonio and Sean. Unlike his mother, Rocco's weak-willed father, Annunzio, liked Eileen and admired her spirit. (A sarcastic Philomena had said to him, after he said that he liked her convictions, "You WOULD!") Rocco's sister, Angelina (a nun), didn't like her attitude and her stand-offishness, which was the one time she didn't agree with her father's views. Eileen had a lot of standards on how her children would be raised, and so it horrified her when her youngest, Sean, came out as gay. The rest of the family were supportive of him, but his mother felt that he could be converted to being a heterosexual, so she sent him to conversion therapy, which did nothing but alienate her from the family. Rocco, finally fed up with his wife's constant interference in Sean's life, went through the Church and had the marriage dissolved through Canon law. Eileen was furious, and she never thought Rocco would drop her for standing up for her beliefs! Meanwhile, Sean had moved to Boston, and he lives there now with his grandmother. Recently, Eileen came up there, to try to get Sean put in more intense Conversion Therapy. When her plans were revealed, a VERY furious Philomena told her former daughter in law where to go. Eileen was stunned though when Sean told her that he was happy as an openly gay man, and that he had people who were there for him and loved him as he was, and not as someone else demanded! Eileen was impressed enough that Sean stood up for himself and to her, that was more than enough to drop her objections to his being gay. While she still has issues with his grandmother, Philomena, who will NEVER like her, Eileen and Sean are slowly rebuilding their relationship as mother and son. Sean is not sure, after all the times his mother tried to get his sexuality changed, but when the two went to Dignity together, Eileen showed her change of heart as being sincere. Even Philomena was impressed, although she still does not like her. Eileen met with Sean's friends, Dylan Harper and Adam Mathison and asked them if Sean was happy, and when she discovered that the two affirmed that he was happy, Eileen gladly accepted that her son was gay. She is reconciling with her other two children, Maureen and Antonio after her change of heart. While she and Rocco have moved on, Eileen has chosen to remain in Boston herself. She has met someone through the church, and with her marriage dissolved canonically, she is free to remarry. Upon her first appearance in Boston, she showed her motherly instincts, when she helped Dylan calm down after nearly being shot by his "grandfather" Richard Harper, who in reality was a man named Frank Wallace, an imposter hired by his wicked aunt Erica. Eileen disapproves of Erica's conniving, and this plunged the Balduccis into the Harpers lives, and solidified the bonds they have. At first, Eileen was not sure of Maureen's friendship with Marilyn Harper, due to the fact that she felt it was her who should have taught Maureen about her heritage, but given that she had not done so, and that Marilyn has taught her daughter how to cook and to be proud of her Irish heritage, merely made Eileen fearful that she would lose her daughter and her love. However, Marilyn made it clear that Maureen still loved her, but because she had not been able to turn to her mother to learn how to cook, someone had to show her. This talk helped bond Eileen and Marilyn. After going on a vacation for a time, Eileen returned and she became more relaxed and happy. She put her animosity towards her children aside and she is even making amends towards Philomena. She laughs more now, and is often cracking horrid puns, to the amusement and good-natured grumbling of everyone else. With her marriage finally annulled, Eileen has retained the use of her maiden name, O'Reilly. Category:Characters Category:Harper family allies Category:Balducci family Category:Comic relief characters